Happy Birthday
by dave-d
Summary: One shot story. 'Happy' and 'Birthday' are not two words that usually go together for Hyuuga Hinata, not even after her reconciliation with her family. Why would this Birthday be any different?


The noise in the kitchen was nnot out of the ordinary.

Up since dawn, the family chef had finished with the day's fresh bread and was moving on to breakfast entries.

Watching from the doorway, Hinata sighed. The scene was different than it had been on Hanabi's birthday. Things were certainly different than they had been on the morning commemorating her father's day of birth.

"Good morning Miss Hinata!" One of the assistants called out cheerfully. "Need another early breakfast today? Do you have a mission? _Training?"_

"Ummm… no…" Hinata didn't want to bring up the reason she was standing there. "I was just walking by here… I wanted to see if you were cooking anything special today…"

"No. I can't say that we are, Miss Hinata." The chef himself looked up from the sausage links he was stuffing by hand. "No one put in a special request…"

"OK," Hinata said. She waved, and then headed on her way. Not needing to be at the practice field until late morning, she wandered throughout the large house, looking for her sister. She found Hanabi stretching outside near the tree the estate's central courtyard. "Do you have lessons with Father today," Hinata asked.

"Yes…" Hanabi answered. "…Even though today is a special day."

"_Really?"_ Hinata's eyes widened. She rubbed her fingers together. "What's so special about today?"

"Don't you remember?" Hanabi scowled, looking at her sister as if she were daft. The family had discussed things at dinner less than a week ago. "I actually get to sit in on a Hyuuga clan business meeting today." It was a clear indication that her education as Heir was going to become more intense.

"Oh…" Hinata's face fell. At first, she had thought that Hanabi remembered. "That's wonderful, I guess. But, do you remember what else today is?" She swallowed hard, and then looked down at her feet.

"What?" Hanabi made a brief dismissive gesture, much like the ones used by their father_. "Should_ I?"

Hinata just sighed. She shouldn't be surprised. The same thing had happened last year, and the year before. As she walked away, she mumbled to herself: "Maybe it's because the day is only two days after Christmas. Maybe it just gets lost that way." In her heart, she knew that was a poor answer to the question she really didn't want to ask.

It was the morning of December twenty-seventh. More importantly, it was Hinata's birthday. Before her mother's death… and before her father had washed his hands of his eldest daughter… the family used to celebrate everyone's birthday, hers included. Now, only the Clan Chief and Hyuuga Heir received any special notice.

Walking through a series of rooms, Hinata made her way towards the family altar. She always lit a candle to her mother on her birthday, thanking her mother for all that she had done after bringing her into this world on this day, sixteen years ago. There was a large candle already lit. That was her father's sole act to show that he knew what day this was.

"Thank you father," Hinata said, feeling tears come to her eyes. He heart was tangled up in conflicting emotions. She would give anything for her father to say 'Happy Birthday, Hinata' or make some kind of major effort on her behalf. But, at least someone had remembered.

Leaving the house, she decided to walk through the city and watch the townspeople getting ready for their day. Somehow, she felt a little less lonely when she did that.

Hinata waved to the baker who sold the best cakes in town. She nodded to a seamstress who sometimes did work for the clan. Seeing an elderly man struggling with his cobbler's bench, she gave him a hand before continuing on her way.

Taking a moment to sit alone with a cup of green tea, she wondered just how much her life had changed for the better. On the surface, things seemed much imprived Her skills as a shinobi had finally begun to blossom. Her fellow ninjas treated her like a comrade and an equal. Her father had accepted her back into the home. Neji was as much a friend as he was a guardian.

"Today… I had hoped…" Hinata sighed. She knew it was silly. But, on her birthday, she had hoped to wake and see how wonderful her life was. Maybe she should be content with 'better.' Before Naruto had defeated Neji in the Chuunin exams, things had indeed been much worse. "Beggars can't be choosers..."

"Hey, Hinata!" It was Ino. Her friend was smiling, looking to be in a cheerful mood. "Tsunade wanted all of the chuunin to stop by the medical center today. It's time for one of our check-ups.

"OK. Thanks." Hinata chatted pleasantly with her friend a while, before the other girl had to finish an errand. Ino hadn't mentioned anything about the day being Hinata's birthday. But, she wasn't too upset over that. It wasn't as if she made it a point to advertise that fact. Just the same, Ino always remembered Shikamaru's, Choji's, and Asuna's birthdays, and they in turn made certain to take her out to dinner on hers.

Following the path to the training filed, she ran across Lee and Ten Ten. They all had a nice chat; but, once again, no one realized the significance of the day. Neji wasn't with them, as he was off on Jounin duties. She was pretty certain that he would have remembered.

"Hinata! Wait a minute…" Looking for Naruto and Kakashi, Sakura stopped to ask Hinata a question.

"Good morning," Hinata said.

"Hinata… do you like parties… " Sakura looked very excited.

"Ummm… yes… I do…" Hinata felt her heart beating faster. Sakura couldn't be making that inquiry in order to help plan a party for her, _could_ she? Did she want to check first, to make certain she wouldn't be too uncomfortable I a social situation like that?

"_Great!_ You're invited then…" Sakura told her that her parents had agreed to host a New Year's party for her and her friends. That had Hinata feeling happy that Sakura was thinking of her. But, once again, her heart sank like a lead fishing weight.

When the white-eyed shinobi made it to the training field, she found Shino and Kiba already there. Kiba told her that Kurenai had been sent away on an urgent mission, and wouldn't be back for a few days. Until then, he would take over leadership responsibilities, deciding what exercises do, and group formations to try out. That statement set of a brief row between him and Shino, who thought that he was much better suited to act as group leader in their sensei's absence.

Hanging her head, Hinata sighed. She really wasn't in the mood for one of these squabbles. Kurenai's absence was an unwelcome surprise, as well. Her teacher always made it a habit to remember each of their birthdays.

After surviving a rather contentious morning of practice, she headed off to the medical center, her spirit lagging a few blocks behind her as she walked. Kiba had headed off with Akamaru to do some additional training. Shino had gone off on a solo trek, intending to hunt for a number of insects that lay eggs only during this week of the year. Neither had made any mention of her birthday.

"Hello, Hinata!" Shizune was waiting when Hinata checked in. "This shouldn't take very long. I have a very short tape on sexual hygiene for you to watch, some blood to draw, and a cursory physical examination to perform. After that, you will be free to go."

"Ummm… sure… OK…" Hinata tried not to fidget. She was glad that the instructional tapes were viewed individually. She might have died if she had to sit through that specific topic with Kiba and Shino.

"_Oh_… Happy Bithday!" Shizune had been leafing through Hinata's records, and happened to check her demographic. "If you like, I can hold the tape for later, if you have some big plans for today…"

"No… well… it's fine…" Hinata tried to keep as cheerful a face as she could. "I'll do that while I'm here." It wasn't as if she had anything else to do before meeting with her group of genin later in the afternoon. To be honest, there really wasn't any need to her to view the tape, other than to fulfill her obligations to sit through the standard series of health-related sessions. But, maybe it would keep her mind off of her troubles.

When she finished at the clinic, the disconsolate young woman decided to walk back into town, intending to buy a special lunch today. She would treat herself to some of her favorite things. Taking out her purse, she hung her head. She had forgotten loaning the remainder of her money to Ten Ten the day before. She wasn't expected to be recompensed until later in the week. _Wonderful._ She looked up into the azure sky, expecting to see a small thundercloud following her around.

Headed home, where she could put together a nice enough meal, Hinata stopped dead in her tracks. She would have stepped behind or building corner or lamp post, had there been one nearby. _It was Naruto!_ He was marching down the street as if listening to some cheerful tune that he alone could hear.

"_Oi!_ Hinata-chan!" He had seen her. Waving, he headed in her direction.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata found herself blushing. That brought Naruto up short. He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask what was wrong, but just shook his head.

"Done training?" Naruto asked. The few times that he had run into Hinata since he returned from his ordeal with Akatsuki, he spoke about training or food. "Getting something to eat?"

"I trained earlier this morning. Now that I'm finished at the medical center, I was going to head home for some lunch." Hinata felt anxious, as she usually did around Naruto.

"_Huh?"_ Naruto scrunched up his face. He had just remembered that he needed to head in for his own check up later. "What's the tape about this time? Proper foot care or something?" He snorted.

"No… it's ummm… you see…" Hinata clasped her hands together. She felt faint. "The tape was about…" The blood was loud in her ears and her mouth suddenly felt dry. "You'll see…" She let out a long sigh.

"Ehhh… _whatever_…" Naruto frowned. _"Hey!_ Want some Ramen?" The sound of his rumbling stomach was clear indication to change the subject. "My treat."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinataa felt faint again, but for an entirely different reason this time. Naruto had actually invited her to lunch. Sure, it had been the kind of offer that he would have made to any one of his peers, but that didn't stop it from being extraordinarily special to her, especially today. "Sure…"

"_Good!"_ Naruto took out his frog purse. "Oh no. _That stupid pervert!"_ he opened the money bag, finding a single small coin inside. Jiraiya had stopped by to see how he was doing last night, bringing word about the latest information on Orochimaru, as well as an update on the surviving members of Akatsuki. "Ero-sennin took my money again, just like when we were training together."

"Oh… I see… thank you anyway…" Hinata couldn't help it. Her face fell, and her whole body slumped. "It's a bad day for purses, Naruto-kun… otherwise I… ummm… I would have paid…"

"Yeh." Naruto shrugged, making a face. He had been set on Ramen. "Wait." He opened his weapons pouch. "Here…" He unwrapped a large protein bar. He broke the bar in half. "It will give you some energy after training."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Her voice wavered some. She wiped a tear away from one eye. She had to stand strong around Naruto. She just _had_ to.

"_Huh?_ Hinata-chan… something bothering you?" Naruto scratched the back of his neck.

"It's… I…" Hinata shook her head. It would be easy to run off, or to deny everything. But, she didn't want to lie to Naruto. "Today's my birthday. But, no one has remembered it except for Shizune, and that was because she had my chart."

"**What?"** Naruto looked angry. "_That sucks!"_ He kicked at a rock on the roadway. "Sounds like one of _my _birthdays." He looked down at his half of the protein bar. "Here… Happy Birthday, Hinata-chan."

Hinata stood there cradling the two pieces of food to her chest as if they were a bouquet of roses or a newborn child. She wished that Naruto hadn't left to visit with Shizune; but, her day suddenly felt a lot better. True, it had been a fortuitous happening, but she would gladly take it!

Following her special lunch… if a protein bar could _really _count for that… Hinata went about her duties with more life in her step. The fact that someone had treated her kindly on her birthday had her happy. The fact that the someone had been Naruto threatened to overload her senses. Sure, he still had no idea how she felt about him. But, that was a dream for another day.

The session with her group of genin went very well that afternoon. When she let slip that it was her birthday, they all insisted that she allow them to treat her at a new ice cream parlor that had opened up. She gratefully agreed, feeling her spirit soar even higher still. Once again, even though there really wasn't any connection, things seemed to change for the better after she had received some kindness or encouragement from Naruto.

"Sensei, _look!"_ One of the younger ninjas pointed up at the stone faces.

"Someone is going to be in a _lot _of trouble," one of the other genin said.

"Yeh! But that's a _great _birthday card!" The third trainee shook her head in wonder.

Hinata's mouth fell open. Someone had tied together an enormous number of white bed sheets and draped them over Tsuanade's stone face. Large letters were painted across the impromptu banner: **H-A-P-P-Y**… **B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y**… **H-Y-U-U-G-A**… **H-I-N-A-TA!**

There could be no doubt whatsoever who had done that. Only one ninja had ever been brash enough to deface the monument in any fashion at all, and that had been before he had actually passed the genin exam.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata felt tears come to her eyes. She should be feeling embarrassed. No, she should be feeling stricken. Naruto's message no doubt had two purposes. One was kind and thoughtful… it was a way to cheer up a friend who was feeling sad and forgotten on her birthday. The other was a bit more open to interpretation… no doubt he meant the sign as a slap in the face to a village that was too busy to care about one of its own.

"Guess everyone will know it's your birthday _now,_ sensei…" Her genin had all spoken up at the same time.

"Yes…" Hinata said, blushing. "Oh… including the Fifth…"

Tsunade was marching down the street read in the face. Catching sight of Hinata, she veered and headed in her direction. "I take it you saw your birthday greetings?" The Hokage looked less than pleased.

"Ummm… yes, Ma'am…" She tensed up all over. "It really was… ummm… very sweet of him. He found out that no one else had told me 'Happy Birthday' today."

"I see. Just like usual. A good heart…" Tsunade cracked her fingers and flexed both arms. "…And an insolent mind!" She wasn't about to tell an underling that she would have been less upset if Naruto had covered a different face. "I guess this won't change your opinion of him, _will_ it?"

"No, Ma'am." Hinata couldn't help but blush and smile. She looked up at the banner again, quickly, even though the Fifth was staring at her.

"Well, his rash actions and disregard of village landmarks will land him in big trouble this time!" Tsunade shook her head. Deep inside, she wasn't as angry as she thought she was. She thought back to her brother, who might very well have done something very much the same under similar circumstances. "So, if you want to tell him thanks, I suggest that you find him before I do."

"I hope _I_ never get her mad!" The comment by one genin was quickly echoed by the others.

Say what one might about Naruto's methodology, it turned out to be very effective. On her walk home later, Hinata was stopped by just about everyone who knew her, all of whom wished her well.

"_So!_ Hinata-chan!" Naruto ran up winded, looking like he was one step ahead of a posse. "Did you see it! _Did you see it!"_ He sounded very much like he wanted approval.

"Yes," Hinata said. She smiled. Even though Naruto had grown a great deal in stature, and had become a far more powerful ninja, he still sounded like a little boy who needed attention. While others might shake their heads at that, she thought it was wonderful. "Thank you very much, Naruto-kun. I think that everyone saw it!"

"Yeh. _Good!"_ Naruto nodded. "Another successful mission…"

Hinata rubbed her fingers together. For some reason, she thought back to the time at the training fields. Since Naruto had taken such a big risk on her behalf, she felt obliged to put herself out on a limb, too. While this might not be a big thing for anyone else to do, it was a huge step for her.

"You know, some people might think that you are a loud, boastful weirdo…" Hinata clenched her fists. Even if Naruto never made anything of her words, she _would_ get them out. "But, you're somebody I could like."

"_Weirdo_…" Naruto scowled, pulling at one ear. Then he brightened up again. "I'll see you at the surprise party tonight. It was hard putting that together with Old Lady Tsunade breathing down my neck."

"Party…" Hinata's eyes went wide. A surprise party for _her?_ That certainly _was_ a surprise.

"**Oh shit!"** Naruto smacked himself in the forehead. "Don't you let anyone know I screwed up!"

"I won't, Naruto-kun. _Promise."_ Hinata smiled. "Were you going to ask the Hokage?"

"Huh?" Naruto placed a hand behind his neck. "Why?"

"Now might be a good time to ask her…" Hinata pointed. Tsunade was speeding up the avenue, looking like all four Riders of the Apocalypse rolled up into one. "Well… maybe not…" Naruto might not appreciate her effort at a little joke; but, she did.

"**HEY GRANNY! SURPRISE PARTY! AT THE REC CENTER. EIGHT O'CLOCK! IF YOU LIKE, I'LL GO AS YOUR DATE!"**

After shouting, Naruto sent dozens of clones running up and down the avenue. That ought to make pursuit a lot more difficult.

"_**N-A-R-U-T-O-!"**_

Hinata watched as Tsunade ran past. Soon, she was joined by a number of ANBU members.

"Naruto-kun…"

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THE END


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